Evening sun on Slackdhu

We hardly go for a walk at Loch Ardinning these days as it is virtually impossible to park and extremely overcrowded due to the reserve being a top hotspot for walkers that is within Covid lockdown restrictions from the city.

On a late afternoon we decided to take a punt and headed up for a walk late afternoon after most people had left or were on their way back.

The walk up onto Muirhouse Muir was well worth it with the stunning views of the Slackdhu Craggs above Strathblane bedded in the warm evening sun.

There’s been a murder…

Call Taggarrrt! Therrre’s been a murrrderrr.

Shortly after catching the murderer in the act and putting the phone call in to Maryhill Police Station, the murderer disappears into the deep, dark forest, taking the body with her.

Taggart arrived swiftly and expertly starts the investigation of the little evidence that is left behind on our lawn.

Taggart confirmed in a press conference this afternoon that a female pheasant, positively identified by its distinct down feathers, has been brutally murdered by a yet to be identified hungry female goshawk.

Frosty mornings

There is nothing nicer than an early morning walk with Lola when the ground is frosty.

Ballagan House

Ballagan House at the foot of the Campsie.

Sunlight striking Dumgoyne and Dumfoyne

The walk along a short stretch of the West Highland Way between Easter Carbeth and Dumgoyach is becoming one of our favourite short walks for a Sunday afternoon wander. The views to the Campsies and even Ben Lomond in the far distance when meandering down the well trodden track towards Dumgyach are simply stunning. I will never tire of these views. Especially with the ever changing and unpredictable Scottish weather. The light hitting the mountains and the atmospheric cloud formations are just never the same.

This is the view to Dumgoyach, Dumgoyne and Dumfoyne taken early on in the walk on a dreich day with flat lighting at the end of June.

Two weeks ago, a mixture of sunshine and fast moving clouds created a spectacle of light spots and light trails travelling across the forrests and the mountains. The monochrome photo above is, without a doubt, my favourite shot of the day, capturing a narrow band of light moving swiftly across the trees and foot of Dumgoyne and Dumfoyne. Below is the colour version.

It is not just the views that make this a wonderful walk. A slight detour from the track into the field to the South East of Dumgoyach is well worth it to explore the standing stones and admire Dunthreath Castle in the shadow of Dumgoyne. But I’ll keep those for a future post.